Electric meter.



UNrrnn EVAN EVANS AND HEINRICH ZElVIENDOB/FE, OF BERLN, GERMANY, SSGlOEtS TG GENERAL ELECTRIC CGMPNY, A

CORGRATION G3? "Nl-ITW YORK.

ELECTRIC METER.

Specification of Letters Zatent.

Application filed November 12, 1912. Serial No. 730,315.

To all whom `t 'may concern.'

Be it known that We, EvAr: Evans and HEINRICH ZIEMENDORFF, subjects of the E1nperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, Gel many,I have 'invented new and useful 'lmprovements in Electric Meters, oit which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to meters, and par ticularly to electric meters for determining the amount of energy consumed in an elec* trical installation in excess of a spccilied quantity during the times that the rate of consumption of energy exceeds a signiicant predetermined value.

The objects of our invention are to generally improve the construction and operation of meters of this type.

Broadly our invention consists in provid ing a-Ineter which is adapted to register the quantity of energy consumed only when the rate of consumption of en'ergy is in excess oi. a predetermined rate and ,in conjunction therewith a clock-work mechanism ior registering the length of time that the rate et consumption exceeds the predetermined rate.

vOur invention further consists in providing a novel construction of meter which is adapted to operate only when the fate of consumption of energy exceeds a predetermined rate and to directly record only the. energy consumed in excess of a specified quantity during the times that the rate ot consumption exceeds the predetermined rate.

The novel features which We believe to he characteristic of our invention will be delinitely indicated in the claims appended hereto. The features of construction and method of operation Will he understood hy reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draiv-- ings which shon7 the preferred embodiments of our invention and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view oia mcter involving` the novel 'features of our invent-ion; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of another improved meter embodying" een tain novel features of our invention.

Referring iirst to Fig. l oil the drawings, there is diagrammatically illustrated a erator 5 supplying electric energy to an elec` trical installation comprising translating devices 6. An electric meter 7 is operatively associated with the .translating devices 5. This meter, as illustrated in the drawings, is provided with current coils 8 in meter shown in the drawingstlzc potential coil carried lay the armature Si, hut it will he understood that this type oi meter is shown merely for the purpose oit illustration and that the potential coil may, if desired, ne stationary, our invention being applicable to any ot 'the xvcll known types of electric meters. l current responsive device l0 oi the well known hot wirer type .is included in series with the current coils S. it will of course understood that ive `have shown this type of current responsive device only loy way of eamil'ilo. since any oi the Well lmoivn :terms oit current responsive devices may loc employed.

in clectromagnct l2, having a coperating' armaturel l, and a contact eircn t-closer lo are included in series rfation in the circuit ci.' the potential coil oi ari'nature 9 oit thc meter. l't will lic evident that the cleo tromagnet l2 and cii'cuit-closer l5 may be operatively related to the iotential coil in other Ways, the essentialV requirement, so far as our present invention is concerned, being Aable inem meter tiineimeter or having an escapement and a '.lhe armature 13 is provided with i which no rwally holds the leases the escapei'nent wir; is energize-d.

The operation olf the apparatus is as tollmvs: The current responsive device l0 is so designed that it will operaie to close the contacts l5 when a 1iredctcrniincd current {loivs in the translating de 'i il of the installation. in other n frl ns, when the rate o'l consumption oit ener in the translating' l ch rethe magnet l2 devices exceeds a prcdeerniined value the contacts are closed by the exi nsie-n of the het wire element of the current resporr sive dei lee 10. Vhile the rate ot' consu1np tion of energy is below the predetermined value, the contacts 15 are maintained open, and hence the circuit including the potential coil carried by the meter armature 9 and the electromagnet 12 is open. Then the rate of consumption of energy exceeds this predetermined value the contacts 15 are closed by the current responsive device 10', thereby completing the circuit of the potential coil and energizing the relay 1Q. The es- 'capement 18 of the4 clockwork mechanism is thereby released and the register 1E) will register the length ot time that the rate of consumption of energy is in excess of the predetermined value. while the register 17 will register' the total quantity ot' energy consumed during this` time.

rl`he register dial 17 ot the meter shown in Fig. 1 will register' the total amount of energy consumed in the translating devices when the .rate of consumption is'in excess ot the predetermined rate. The meter ot our present invention is particularly adapted to be used where it is desired to know only the quantity of energy Consumed in excess of a. i)redetermined contract quantity, which contract quantity is the quantity ot energy consumed when the rate ot' consumption is .below a predetermined rate. 'l"o this end tho reading o1 the time register 1 9 must be multiplied by the predetermined rate and this product subtracted trom the reading ot' the register dial 17. lt the predetermined rate. is a constant the time register 19 may obviously be'standardized to read directly in watt hours in which ease the reading ot the dial 1t) has only to be subtracted from the reading ot' the dial 17 in order to obtain the (piantity of energy consumed in excess ot the contract quantity.

'lhe meter shown in Fig. 2 is adapted to directly register only the energy consumed in excess ot a predetermined contract quantity. The consumer can use as much energy as he desires as long as his rate ot consumption is below a predettermined rate. when he exceeds this predetermined rate of consunmtion, however, the meter will not register' the total energy being consumed, but only that being consumed in excess of theI contract quantity. ln this meter tli clock mechanism is dispensed with and the meter armature. carrying they potential coit, is continuously connected with the regis-to" dial 17, but is only adapted to operate, when the rateI ol` consumption ol energy exceeds a. predetermined rate which is determined by the current, responsive device, 10. 'lhis current responsive. device is adapted to cl ;e by its armature 11 and the contacts 15. the electric circuit of the potential coil carried by the armature 9 o't the meter.

.k very important feature of the meter shown in Fig. 2 consists in the auxiliary coil 20 which is in series with the meter arma-- ture and is hence only energized Vwhen the contacts 15 are closed. This coil 20 is wound, asindieated by the arrows in Fig. 2, so that When energized it produces a torque which opposes the torque ot' the meter' and this opposing or counter-torque is designed to be equal to the meter torque when the rate of consumption ot energy equals the predetermined rate. The current and potential coils of the meter produce a torque proportional t'o the rate of consumption ot' energy being metered, while the aux iliary coil produces a conntertorqne corresponding to a predetermined rate of con sumption. The counter-torque is not continuously present and therefore, a locking of the mete* against backward rotation is not necessary. The meter of Fig. 2 is in operation only when the rate of consumption ot energy is in excess of a predetei.'` mined rate, and the meter will directly register only the quantity of energy consumed nr excess ot a iin'edeterminedquantity.

lVliile we have illustrated in the `:weempanying drawings registers ot' well known types t`or registering the plantities characM teristic of our novel and improved mr it will` of course` be understood that any suitable means may be empioyed to obtain the desired registrations. In the specification and appended claims we have used the term register in its generic sense with the intention ot covering any of the well known forms of registrations.

ln accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, wehaye described the princi ple ot operation et our invention, together with the apparatus which We now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but we desire to have, it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means. i

That we cla-im as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot the United States, is 1- 1. The combination with an electrical installation, ot an electric meter for deter mining the amount of energy consumed in said installation in excess of a specified quantity during'the times that the rate of vconsumption ot energy exceeds a significant Sti ,ward rotation of said element, and a device responsive to the flow of energy in said installation for electrically connecting said second mentioned field coil and said armainstallation exceeds said significant predetermined value. I

2. An electric meter for registering the amount of energy consumed in .excess of a specified quantity during the times that the rate of consumption of energy exceeds a significant predetermined value comprising in combination, a rotatable element, a motive p element coperating with said rotatable element tending to produce a forward rotation of said rotatable elementdependent upon the rate of consumption of energy being metered, a second motive element coperating with said rotatable element tending -t0 produce a uniform backward rotation of said rotatable element, and .means responsive to the rateof consumption of energy being ,lnetered for maintaining said rotatable element at rest until the rate of consumption of energy exceeds said significant predetermined value.

3. The combination with an electrical installation, of an electric meter for determining the amount of energy consumed in said i installation in excess of a specified quantity during the times that the rate ot consumption of energy exceeds a significant `predetermined value comprising, a rotatable element, means cooperating with said element tending to produce rotationof the element dependent upon the rate of consumption of energy in said installation, means set into operation only when the rate of consumption ot energy exceeds said significant predetermined value tending to produce an action indicative of the length of time the rate of consumption of energy exceeds said significant predetermined value, and means re sponsive to theftlow of energy in said installation operatively related to said last mentioned means and to a Winding of the meter whereby said rotatable element is maintained at rest until the rate of energy consumption exceeds said significant predetermined value. i

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands this twenty-ninth day of October, 1912.

EVAN EVANS.' HEXNRICH ZEMENDORFF.

lvVitnesses:

HENRY Hasrnn, VVOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

